Wheels of freedom for Beau

A boy with a condition so rare it affects only 10 youngsters in the UK is learning to love the outdoors.

Beau Gosney, 4, will now be able to pedal his way around after a £2,700 trailer trike was donated as part of a fundraiser held in aid of disabled youngsters.

Beau, who goes to Kingsland School, on Aberford Road, Wakefield, has Smith Lemli Opitz Syndrome (SLOS), a disorder which limits his mobility and is so rare it affects just 10 youngsters in the UK.

The trike, which attaches to his mum Samantha Smith’s bike, was paid for by Radio Aire’s Cash for Kids campaign, which raised more than £25,000 for disabled youngsters with events around West Yorkshire last Friday.

Miss Smith, 33, said the trike would provide specialist exercise to help Beau learn to walk.

She said: “He absolutely loves it. It’s just fantastic.

“The trike is like having a physiotherapy session. It attaches to my bike and I can turn his pedals off so we can enjoy the outdoors.”

Beau who lives in Featherstone, was 12 months old when he was diagnosed with SLOS, an inherited condition which affects the body’s ability to make cholesterol, which is essential for body and brain function.

He was among the youngsters who dressed as superheroes for the fundraiser at the Laila Milly Foundation in Hemsworth.

The foundation was also given £900 from Cash or Kids to help fund sign language classes for youngsters.